This invention relates generally to food handling utensils, and more particularly to a utensil assembly constituted by a set of utensils supported at separated upright positions in a storage rack acting as an organizer and as a carrier for the set.
A modern, well-equipped kitchen requires a variety of different utensils to facilitate cooking and food handling procedures. Among these utensils are a ladle, a deep-bowled spoon having a long handle for dipping up and conveying liquids such as soup, and a slotted spoon that is similar to a ladle but with a slotted bowl making it possible to pick up food immersed in liquid while draining the liquid therefrom.
Also in use for food handling are a spatula having a flat, thin blade attached to a long handle for lifting up spread-out food, a long fork adapted to pierce pieces of food to be picked up, as well as stirrers, turners and other implements for handling or processing food.
The range of differently-shaped utensils required in the modern kitchen gives rise to certain practical problems. If, for example, the utensils are kept in kitchen drawers or cabinets, they are not readily accessible to the working chef, particularly if the utensils are stored at scattered locations. On the other hand, if the utensils are loosely piled on a counter adjacent the cooking facility, they present a disorganized appearance, and the chef must sift through the pile to find the appropriate utensil.
The merchandising of such utensils creates still another problem, for the utensils are generally sold in sets. Since the utensils in a set have diverse shapes, should they be put loosely in a shipping carton large enough to accommodate all of them, the utensils will then tend to rattle in the box when the box is transported. And if the utensils have a fine finish, this finish may be married if the loose utensils in the set are permitted to rub against each other in the carton.